UW-Superior designated a Military Friendly® School for 11 consecutive years
The University of Wisconsin-Superior has been designated a Military Friendly® Silver School, which is awarded to schools who meet the requirements and score within 20 percent of the tenth ranking in their school category. This honor recognizes the university’s efforts to assist military personnel, veterans and their family members in completing a college education.
“This is an exciting recognition for the university,” said Kat Werchouski, director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and senior diversity officer at UW-Superior. “Not only because UW-Superior has been designated a Military Friendly® school for 11 consecutive years, but in just a year, UW-Superior has improved its status from a designated school to a Silver School. This is a testament to everything we do to focus on the success of our student veterans.”
As the highest-ranking school in the Twin Ports, G.I. Jobs® found that, “UW-Superior is dedicated to assisting military members in their college success and provides services that meet their needs in transitioning to higher education. A dedicated staff is here to assist students with securing their GI Bill benefits and navigating the admissions process. Based on academic policies, veteran students may receive transfer credit (maximum 32 semester credits) for education and some certain specialized training programs completed while in military. With a veteran center located on campus, veterans will find a relaxing atmosphere, a comfortable place to study, and resources that can help answer questions about campus and community support.”
UW-Superior received high marks for its academic policies and compliance, admissions and orientation and culture and commitment. It is the only university in the UW System to receive a Silver School ranking. UW-Superior features a Veteran and Nontraditional Student Center that provides a wide range of support programming for veterans of all ages.
“This Military Friendly® Silver School recognition is a testament to our fantastic staff and the Veteran and Nontraditional Student Center and the commitment we have as a university to the success of our student veterans,” said Werchouski. “Our campus initiatives continue to focus on the success of our veterans – many of whom have recently returned from active duty to begin their academics. It’s our goal to ensure the transition from the military to not only college but also civilian life is as natural as possible.”
UW-Superior also provides a veteran’s benefits coordinator and office to help veterans navigate their government education benefits and to assist with financial arrangements. The university also tries to maximize the number of military training-related credits that veterans can transfer to UW-Superior to apply toward their degrees.
Now in its 10th year, the Military Friendly® Schools list has come to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses. This prestigious list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey completed by the school. More than 1,000 schools participated in the 2020-2021 survey, with 625 schools earning the designation from every state in the country.
The 2020-2021 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine. The list can also be found at militaryfriendly.com.
Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, persistence (degree advancement or transfer) and loan default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans. For the first time, the methodology included a new measure – the 90/10 Rule and Loophole. Military Friendly® has closed the loophole on our survey and is eager for Congress to follow as it deliberates closing the loophole legislatively.
